And What Followed...

Saturday, August 11, 2007

We have so much to celebrate this weekend. My father's voice brokeapart on the phone when he realized that this "Celebration of Life"was actually happening. I cried too. Who would have guessed thatthis devastating nightmare would have such a fairytale outcome. I'mso thankful for every little thing, every little moment of every day.

The results of the "one-year" Bone Marrow Biopsy came back 100% donor.In the past, "100% donor" meant "promising" or "a good sign". Themarrow also came back "clear". This triple-confirms that the cancerhas completely vanished. At 13 months out, it is safe to officiallysay that the donor marrow has taken and that the transplant issuccessful.

My brother and I in the fountain at Cal Anderson Park in Capitol Hill

I just returned from Seattle, my first trip since all this began solong ago. When the plane lifted off the tarmac my heart burst with somuch happiness that I couldn't stop tearing up. It wasn't until wereached altitude that I let it sink in... I am finally free. Up inSeattle, I met more people whose lives were changed by this crazyjourney. A church that conducted a marrow drive honored me, my familyand my friends C and M. I also met someone whose life was literallysaved by the campaign. It was incredibly humbling.

When the one-year milestone passed, I received the name and contactinfo of my donor. I was handed a Chinese name and an e-mail address.I stared at it for a week. I couldn't believe my donor, my hero, wasonly a click away. We are now communicating via e-mail. His wife isa 10-year survivor of APL. They have a son. My donor's name remainsanonymous to the public for now... at least until I get his permissionto reveal his name to everyone. I can't wait for the day when we willmeet face to face.

The Prom, to me, is like a high school graduation. It represents theend of a special time and the beginning of an expanded time. We areall blessed. I am in tears as I write this. Thank you, everyoneeveryone everyone for seeing this girl through to the other side.